Reducing Anxiety during Labor in Women with an
Initial Inactivity of Uterine Contractility

Already normal labor is accompanied by physi­cal and emotional stress as well as great anxie­ties.
This is even more so the case when com­pli­ca­tions arise as in the investigated women here who showed an initial inactivity of the uterus. Seen from the angle of the hormone state the organism is in a state of emergency: to coun­ter­act the experience of great pain and se­vere stress for the mother, the organism pro­duces 8-10 times more opioids as normal, which – next to other effects – function as anxi­ety inhibitors.
To find out in how far Medical Resonance Therapy Music® has a harmonizing effect on anxiety regulating neuroendocrine functions important opioids were chosen for in­ves­ti­ga­tion: beta-endorphin, corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol – hormones which show ex­tremely high levels in blood during labor.

Under investigation were three groups:

one group (11 women) was treated with relaxing Medical Resonance Therapy Music®,

a control group A (11 women) listened to music of Mozart – Symphony No. 28 and Coro­na­tion Mass – and

a control group B (11 women) did not listen to any music.

Medical Resonance Therapy Music®
Group

The treatment with the Medical Resonance Therapy Music® resulted in a significant change of the hormonal situation:
the beta-endorphin value dropped by 6.05 units and also ACTH showed a tendency to decrease – the hyperproductive hormone system was calmed and a more balanced state established.

Especially noteworthy is the following situa­tion: although the level of anxiety inhibiting hormones decreased the women did not ex­peri­ence a raise in anxiety but on the contrary reported of a clear decrease of anxiety.
This implies that the reduction of anxiety un­der the treatment with Medical Resonance Therapy Music® is based on a strong har­mo­niz­ing effect on the emotional state during la­bor.

Control Group A with Mozart’s Music

The women in this group also reported of a strong reduction of anxiety through listening to the music. And here too a significant change was found in the hormonal situation, but in the opposite direction: the ACTH level increased – the already hyperactive hormone system got even more exaggerated and pro­duced even more of the anxiety inhibiting hor­mone. The increase of the ACTH level could explain the reduced experience of anxiety in this group.

Control Group B

Here no significant changes were observed, only small variations.

Comments to Cortisol

A significant change of cortisol was neither found in the “Mozart group” nor in the Medical Reso­nance Therapy Music® group.
To get a reliable picture of the changes in cortisol level probably a longer than 30 minute treat­ment interval is necessary, since its duration is comparable with half the life span
of the hormone in circulation.